Signal reflector



.me 29,1926c 1,590,358 A W. Rf FINLAY SIGNAL REFLECTOR Filed Feb. 2OI1922 Wi Finlay @Ve/liar.,

Patented June 29, 1926. i

UNITED STATES.

WILLIAM RAYMOND FINLAY, 0F VICTUORIABRITISIH COLUMBIA, CANADA. I

SIGNAL REFLECTOR.

Application led February 20, 1922. Serial No. 537,974.

My invention relates to reflectors used "in connection with automaticsignaling devices, in which beams of light rays are automaticallyintercepted and reflected back towards their source; such devices can beeffectively used at an abrupt turn or other danger point on a highway,vroad, street, wharf, quay, shoreline, or the like. They may act asmarine signals or may be equally useful secured to the rear of vehicles,when so placed as to receive the light rays from a following vehicle.-

This invention has for its object the more efficient interception oflight rays from the head lights or spotlightsof automotive vehicles, orthe projectors carried by marine craft, so that the light produceseffective luminosity in an otherwise unilluminated reflector by passingthrough coloured screens and may 'operate as a warning signal at anydesired point.

I am able to obtain this result by the use of a special reflector havinga plurality of reflecting surfaces so disposed to each other and to theincident rays of light that the said rays are reflected to a maximumextent in parallelism and also that the said rays are so filtered bypassing through coloured medium that the colouring of the signaled raysis also a maximum, so as to obtain a luminous signal which asa disc isas completely coloured as `possible and is so visible over the widestpracticable angle both of incidence and reflection.

The construction of my reflector can -be very readily seen from thedrawings; Fig. 1,

is a cross section through the center4 and` Fig. 2, is a plan view. a isa circular glass face plate entirely covering the reflecting surfaces b,in this particular embodiment of the invention it will be observed thatthe face plate is divided into annular concentric spaces c, d, e, with acircular center portion f, the spaces c, d, e, and f, are coincidentwith and exactly over one of the reflecting surfaces b; these latter areof course finished so as to retain a reflecting surface of highvalue,and it is important to note the relation of these surfaces b, to eachotherwhich must be an angle of 90 to obtain the best results. The spacesc, and e, in the glass face are preferably coloured; g, is a substantialmetal strip secured to the reflector for fastening the device to a postor other support. The reflecting surfaces in the drawing Fig. 1 areformed geometrical'-` ly by truncating a single right-angular cone threetimes, and fitting the portions together concentrically so that theapices are alternately in opposite directions.

It is obvious that simple modifications in the constructional featuresof my invention The performance of the device under operative conditions-is readily explained by the aid of the drawings: Light rays projectedfrom say the headlights of an automotive vehicle strike the face platea, of the reflector, and the annular zones of clear `or c01- ouredglass, practically all therays ass through the transparent spaces d, anthence falling upon the inclined surfaces at an angle of 45, arereflected from these surfacesat the same angle and so strike theopposite surface of the reflectors and thence the inner surface of theface plate a, at right angles but on the coloured portion c, or e thesereflected white rays are therefore returned toward their source oforigin asy coloured rays, somewhat similarly but in reverse order, thewhite rays striking the face plate on the coloured zones c, andl e, arefiltered by this medium; the rays passin through being colouredaccordingly; on yvthe blue and green rays of the trum being reflectedback but these not bemgvisible as white rays are negligible in effect;the coloured rays take a similar' path to and from therefiecting'surfaces to that of the white rays descrlbed above, andemerge through the face plate in the clear zones d,

and f, but as coloured rays; hence all the 100 rays emerglng arecoloured and the signal presents a full disc-of illumination to any beamof light reaching it; moreover, owing to the subdivision ofthe effectivereflecting surfaces, the effect of stray beams of light 105 cured. zoneand adjoining the-periphery of the face, it is found that theseextraneous light rays are considerably or entirely eliminated.`

lt should be noted` that by colouring the annular zone of the faceplatein the order shown in my drawing, a maximum in reflectiveelliciency is obtained: the reason for this is that the receptive areaon the face plate for the coloured rays is larger than that for thetransmitted rays after reiection, or to put it in another way, the rayspassing through the coloured zones being necessarily more attenuatedthan thewhite rays passing through the clear zones, are concentrated ona smaller area, thus their density is increased and the maximum etfectis thereby reached: of course the relector would operate with theconverse arrangement of the alternate annular zones, but at a reducedefficiency.

I claim:

1. lin a signal reflector the combination of a transparent :face platecovering the base of a truncated conical reflector, two concentrictruncated conical rellectors, `placed with their apices in oppositedirections a central conical reflector placed with its a ex towards saidtace plate, all reflecting sur aces at any radial section being soplaced that adjoining surfaces form a right angle with each other.A

recente a transparent face plate 'covering the base of a truncatedconical reiector, two concentric truncated conical reflectors, placedwith their apices in opposite directions, a central conical reflectorlaced with its apex t0- wards said face p ate, all reflecting surfacesbeing so placed that adjoining surfaces at any radial section form aright angle with of a reflector, said plate having alternate.

circular concentric zones of clear and coloured glass, said reflectorhaving reflecting surfaces coincident with said zones, said surfacesbeing so placed that adjacent surfaces at any radial Section form a riht angle between tliem, each reflecting sur'ace being also vat an angleof 45 degrees to said 'face plate.

